Vehicle shaft support



(No Model.)

J. J. BARKER. VEHICLE SHAFT SUPPORT.

No. 520,750. Patented May 29, 1894.

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. NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON BARKER, on NEW YORK, N. Y, ASSIGNOR TO RUFUS M. srIvERs, OF SAME PLACE.

VEHICLE- SHAFT SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,750, dated May 29, 1894.

Application filed January 23, 1894- Serial No. 497.339- (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAR- KER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and the State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Snpports for Vehicles, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which forma part of this specification.

The invention relates to improvements in thill supports of that class which are formed, primarily, of two members, respectively attached to the thill and to the axle, of such a construction and so attached, that when the thills are raised to an upright position, the said members will engage and thereby hold the thills in their elevated position.

The invention has for its object the provision of such a device, which is of a cheap construction, easily applied to almost any variety of a thill, and when applied, will not in any way weaken the parts of the vehicle to which it is attached, and which will be, to a considerable extent, ornamental.

It also has for its object a construction which will insure the engagement of the members forming the support, even if one of them should be slightly sprung or displaced, and further, it has for its object the provision of an adjusting mechanism whereby one of the members can be moved to compensate for any misjudgment in attaching the members, or for any accidental displacement due to the springing of one or the other of the members, and also whereby the thills can be supported in a position more or less elevated as desired.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, such as will be hereinafter more fully described,pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawlngs.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing an axle, a thill coupled thereto and the support holding the thill in an elevated position. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view, showing the two members forming the support by themselves.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A and A respectively designate the iron and wooden portions of an axle of any construction suitable in the premises.

B designates the clip, proper, and O the tieplate connecting the ends of the former. From the forward side of the clip, lugs 19, 1), project, between which the end of the thill iron D is pivoted. To the thill iron the thill E is secured in the usual manner.

The support, proper, consists of two mem-' bers F and G, respectively attached to the thill and to the axle. The member G is formed by continuing the inner end of the tie-plate rearwardly from the axle and turning it upwardly to form the standard g. This standard is immediately back of the axle and in height is somewhat less than the thickness of the axle, and is made of considerable thickness, so that it will possess the required rigidity. By its position, relatively, to the axle, it is protected to a considerable extent from injury; The upper end of the standard is curved toward the axle. Near the end of the same, a transverse lug Zprojects from its upper face. The upper, or outer, face H of the standard, beyond the lug Z, is a smooth surface curved toward the end, and the extreme end is rounded or beaded.

The member F is formed of a plate having suitable resistance and is adj ustably attached to the thill. The attached end, f,'is enlarged and has formed on its contacting face transverse corrugations t', 2'. To the thill, between the same and the end of the plate F, the plate M is secured. The upper face of this plate is also provided with transverse corrugations, m, m, with which the corrugations of the member F engage. The corrugated portion of the member F is much longer than that of the plate M so that a considerable adjustment of the member F can be secured. The two corrugated surfaces are held in engagement by the bolt H, which passes through the thill and the said plates. The upper plate, F, is provided with a slot 3 for the passage of the bolt, so that it can be moved longitudinally.

The plate or member F is provided, near its free end, with a transverse groove 7t adapted to engage with the transverse lug Z of the member G. The end of the said plate, beyond the groove h, is a smooth curved surface, being curved considerably from the main line of the plate, and ends in a head.

The operation of the device is as follows: The members having been attached to their respective connections and properly adj nsted, the thills are raised and turned backward until the groove h of the member F engages with the lug Z of the member G, whereby the thills will be held in their elevated position. To disengage the members, the thills are simply forced down, the force, however, by reason of the shape of the lug and groove, need not be excessive.

It is to be observed that the member F is so adjusted that normally, if the member G should not be in position, the free end of the same would pass a point considerably nearer the axle than that at which the grooved end would engage with the standard. \Vhen the member G is in position, however, the inclined faces of the ends of the members would come together, on the raising of the thills, and the member F would be forced outwardly until the lug of the standard engaged with the groove of the plate. By means of these inclined or curved surfaces, considerable play to the end of the member F can be secured, and at the same time a positive engagement of the two parts insured, whereby excessive care in attaching the members need not be exercised, and furthermore if one of them should accidentally be sprung slightly or displaced, the proper engagement would not be interfered with.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1: In a thill support, the combination of the axle, the standard secured thereto, the thill pivoted to the axle, the spring plate adj ustably connected to the said thill and adapted to engage with the said standard, and the mechanism forming the adjustable connection between the said plate and thill consisting of the plate interposed between the spring plate and the thill, the contacting faces of the said plates being corrugated, and the bolt passing through thesaid thill and plates to hold the spring plate in position, the said spring plate being slotted for the reception of the bolt, substantially as described.

2. In a thill support, the combination of the axle, the standard secured thereto having a transverse lug projecting from the same near its upper end, the thill pivoted to the axle, the spring plate adjustably connected to the said thill having a transverse groove formed in the same near its end adapted to engage with the lug of the standard, and the mechanism forming the adjustable connection between the said plate and thill consisting of the plate interposed between the spring plate and the thill, the contacting faces of the said plates being corrugated, and the bolt passing through the said thill and plates to hold the spring plate in position, the said spring plate being slotted for the reception of the bolt, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J EREMIAH JOHNSON BARKER.

Witnesses:

, FRANCIS H. Ross, C. EVERETT NIER. 

